Monday, August 19, 2013

Is There Any Evidence To Support Low Carbohydrate Diets?

There is no great mystery about how to lose weight. Simply put; your calorie requirement must exceed your calorie intake. Weight loss results in taking in fewer calories and burning more calories through exercise, than your body needs. The body requires energy for three main purposes; basal metabolism, physical activity and the thermic effect of food.

Basal metabolism is the minimum energy required to maintain the body. This includes all the basic functions of the body that go on without thinking; circulation, respiration and maintaining body temperature. Believe it or not, this constitutes sixty to seventy percent of the total energy used by the body.

Physical activity, like walking, increases energy use over and above the basal metabolism by anywhere as much as twenty-five to forty percent. Increasing activity leads to an increase in calories burned.

In addition to basal metabolism and physical activity, the body uses energy to in the process of digestion, to absorb, and process nutrients. This is called the thermic effect of food and represents five to ten percent of all energy consumed.

There is nothing particularly mysterious about low carbohydrate diets as they are just very low in calories, especially in the early induction stages. They are usually so low in calories that they put you into negative calorie balance. Also during the induction stages the rapid weight loss is always a result of water loss and not body-fat. One of the reasons that this occurs is due to the body breaking down energy stores and one of the by-products is water. It is usually easier to follow a low-calorie plan whilst on a high-protein diet due to the food eaten making you feel full. Unfortunately, high-protein diets tend to be boring and repetitive and boring and this can lead to a decreased intake. As with all fashion diets, many people return to their old eating habits and regain any weight they may have lost. Many of these plans are so low in carbohydrates that they place the body in a state called ketosis. This is when the body does not have carbohydrates to utilise for energy which is the preferred fuel for the body. It therefore finds other sources of energy within the body, and this is usually body fat. The body burns fat for energy as a matter of course, however without carbohydrates, it does not burn fat efficiently, and by products called ketones are released into the blood. Ketosis is the name for this metabolic process. Ketosis may make the dieter feel nauseous and therefore it often suppresses appetite. Side effects of ketosis are constipation, fatigue, nausea, and acetone breath. Long-term problems associated with ketosis are kidney damage, gout, and other serious problems.

It is important to remind you that carbohydrates are our body's preferred energy source, and the primary energy source for the brain. Low-carbohydrate and high-protein diets are not nutritionally balanced enough and therefore are not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women or children. Over a long period of time, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets can cause health problems, such as heart disease, reduced bone density, some cancers, and kidney problems. When excess protein is eaten for an extended time, the body excretes increased calcium through urine, which could lead to osteoporosis. Many studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and loseweight-fastandsafe.com healthy oils protects from heart disease and many types of cancer. Alternatively, diets high in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol lead to increasing the risk of disease. There are no long-term studies that show that low-carbohydrate dieting is more effective than any other reduced-calorie diet.








There are many fads and fashions regarding diets. Martin has a blog dedicated to dispelling myths and giving guidance to safe weight loss at loseweight-fastandsafe.com Lose Weight Fast and Safe.

No comments:

Post a Comment